Robert Frost's Use of Colour Imagery

LangLit
IMPACT FACTOR – 5.61 ISSN 2349-5189
An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

AN ANALYSIS OF THE COLOUR IMAGERY IN ROBERT
FROST’S POEMS
TALAT RAFI RAZA KHAN
Professor of English
Iqra University
North Campus
Karachi, Pakistan
M.A. in TESOL from University of Edinburgh
M.A. in English Linguistics from University of Karachi
M.A. in English Literature from University of Karachi
Post-Graduate Diploma in Teaching English as an International Language
Post-Graduate Diploma in Teaching of English as a Second Language
Thirty-seven year Teaching and Teacher-training and Research experience
ABSTRACT
This research paper focuses on an investigation of the use of colour imagery
by Robert Frost. The methodology adopted for the investigation purpose was
the Field research. After going through all poems in nine collections, the
researcher noted downs the frequency of the occurrence of various colours in
Frost’s poems. A table was drawn to enter all the colours and their
occurrences. Later, they were counted down to reveal which colour/s
dominated Frost’s poems. A study of the psychology of the colours, their effect
on the mood and feelings, helped the researcher to discuss the research
findings and to reach to a conclusion. In all 301 poems were surveyed which
showed a considerable frequency of the use of the colours. Besides, the
researcher thoroughly went through the biological history of the poet in order
to understand the poems at length.
KEY WORDS: Frost, Poems, Colour Imagery, Frequency Of Occurrence, Dominating

Colour/S
I. INTRODUCTION:
Robert Lee Frost was a twentieth century American poet who wrote extensively and received
Pulitzer Prizes in 1924, 1931, 1937, and 1943. In 1922, Frost was also selected as Poet
Laureate by the Vermont State League of Women’s Club. The American poet was born in
1885 and died in 1963. His personal life left a deep impact on his poetry. He led a very tragic
life facing deaths of his near ones beginning with his father (1885), mother (1900), the eldest
son (1900), sister (1929), younger Son Carol committed suicide( 1940), daughter Marjorie
(1934), daughter Elinor died just after three days of her birth (1907), and his wife (1938). Out
of six children only two Lesley and Irma lived a long life. Mental illness rooted in the family
and most of them including his wife suffered deeply from depression.
Nine collections of his poems, four plays and seven prose books go to Frost’s credit. Many
of his poems have gained international popularity and are included for the high school,
Vol. 6 Issue 3 43 February, 2020

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Indexed: ICI, Google Scholar, Research Gate, Academia.edu, IBI, IIFC, DRJI
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undergraduate and post graduate studies. It would not be out of place to mention that his
poems were first published in England and later in the US.
Frost is a well-read poet because of his simple poetic diction; however, his themes are not as
simple as his words are. By employing figurative language mainly focusing on his very
powerful images, Frost is admired immensely. A thorough investigation of his 300 poems
reveals that the poet has used the colour imagery extensively. In this paper, the researcher
focuses on its use and its symbolic effect on the poems with this research question in mind:
Research Question: Does the personal life of the poet affect his poetic diction?
Hypothesis: The study of the personal life of the poet helps understanding his use of the
colour imagery in his poems.
II. Literature Review:
II. a. In his book named Robert Frost, Gerber (1982: 117) argues:
“Frost’s poetry retains its freshness even today because it doesn’t depend upon the topic of
the day but rather explores aspects of humanity that are timeless and universal. In dealing
with the individual, Frost emphasizes that man remains single, alone with his fate. Life for
the individual can hold the possibility of terror, but also contains the potential of beauty”.
Frost has extensively covered all topics related to his life and generally the human life. He
views life as a complex philosophical phenomenon that takes twists and confuses the humans
to what direction to follow. His personal tragic life is also depicted in his poems and often
he conveys the message of thy highly dejected life in simple words but that simplicity of
Frost’s diction is regarded as ‘gnomic’ by Schneider (1931: 269). The critic thinks that the
readers are most of the time mislead by Frost’s simple words. Schneider calls his poems
‘wise poems’ but difficult to understand especially at first reading. It is often said that his
words are simple but structurally his poems are complicated as he chooses difficult meters.
The period he spent in England deeply and his simple life-style there affected his poetic
simplicity and that was why Frost got his early collections published in England.
Frost’s poetry is reflective as well as symbolic. Poems like ‘Birches’, ‘Stopping by Woods on
a Snowy Evening’, ‘Road Not Taken’ etc are all symbolic. ‘Woods’ represent the world,
‘Birches’ represents the human physical development, ‘two roads’ symbolize the two ways of
life and his decision to follow either of them. Likewise, Frost’s poems are replete with colour
imagery. He conveys the message through the use of colours. In order to understand the
symbolic effects of different colours, the researcher first throws light on the Psychology of
the colours i.e. what colours are technically called and what colour conveys what effect on
our mood and feelings. This information was collected after visiting many websites referred
to in the references. It is as follows:

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II.b. Technical Names of the Colours:
Primary Colours: RYB i.e. Red, Yellow and Blue are known as the Primary Colours.
Secondary Colours: GOP i.e. Green, Orange and Purple are known as the Secondary
Colours as mixing of Blue and Yellow colours produces Green, Red and Yellow produces
Orange, and Red and Blue produces Purple colours.
Achromatic or Neutral Colours: Black, White and Grey are known as achromatic colours
as they are created by mixing of all three primary colours and thus, said to be ‘colours
without colours’. It depends on the right proportion of the three primary colours to produce
any of these three achromatic colours.
Composite Colours: Brown is known as a composite colour as the mixing of Black, Red and
yellow or Red, Blue and Yellow produces Brown.
Tint Colours: Mixing of White and any other colour produces a tint colour. For example,
white and Red when mixed produce pink colour, blue and white produce sky blue, etc.
Cousin Colours: A colour that is very close to the shade of another colour is known as a
Cousin colour. For example, Gold is a cousin colour to Yellow and Brown. Similarly, Silver
is a cousin colour to Grey.
III.c: Colours and their Emotional Effects:
Red: This colour is associated with anger, hostility, energy and power.
Yellow: This colour produces the effect of optimism, brightness, joyful mood and clear
mentality.
Blue: This colour represents sky or water and is regarded as the stress-reducing colour that
can lower the blood pressure and maintains normal heart beat. It symbolizes wisdom also.
Green: This colour symbolizes fertility, freshness, quietness and restfulness. It represents
Nature.
Orange: This colour is energetic, warm, inviting and joyful.
Purple: This colour is linked to royalty. It represents power, nobility, luxury and ambition. It
is a symbol for wealth and comfort. It also represents dignity and creativity, magic and
mystery.
White: This colour is a true representative of purity, peace, cleanliness, virginity, innocence,
heaven and sterility. In some cultures, it symbolizes modesty and sadness.
Black: This is associated with power, fear, mystery, strength, authority, elegance, formality,
death, evil, and aggression, authority, rebellion, and sophistication.

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Grey: This colour represents depression and heavy heartedness. It shows mental ailments.
Brown: It stimulates the appetite. It also shows dullness, steadfastness, simplicity,

friendliness, dependability, and health. It represents the Earth.
Gold: and is also associated with illumination, love, compassion, courage, passion, magic,
and wisdom. It is associated with wealth, grandeur, and prosperity, as well as sparkle, glitz,
and glamour.
Silver: This colour represents industrial and modern technical world. It also symbolizes
grace, elegance, and wealth.
Pink: Pink is a colour that promotes tranquility and peace. In the ancient time it was
regarded as a masculine colour but in the modern world it represents Feminine, love, caring
and nurture.
IV. d. Colours and their association with Senses:
All the colours are divided into two groups warm and cool:
Warm Colours: The colour that fall in this group represent sun of fire and thus, warmth is
sensed. Red, yellow and Orange are categorized as Warm colours.
Cool Colours: Blue, green and violet evoke a cool sense as they remind us of water, sky or
grass. Violet is produced by mixing warm Red and cool Blue and thus, regarded as a cool
colour.
In short, the literature review informs the readers about how colours affect us. The next
section will throw light on the use of the colours by R.Frost in his poems in the shape of the
Data for this research paper.
III. Research Data collected from Robert Frost’s poems:
Research Methodology: Field Research
III. a. FIELD RESERCH: The researcher went through Frost’s three hundred poems out of
his nine collections to collect this data. The procedure followed was that the all the poems
were read twice given in ‘The Complete Poems by Robert Frost’, 17th edition, 1984. While
reading the poems, all the names of the colours were noted down along with the title of the
poems in the form of the table given below:

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TABLE SHOWING THE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF COLOURS IN
FROST’s POEMS
COLOUR Red Yellow Blue Green Purple Grey White Black Brown Silver Gold
(Dark)
FREQUENCY 1 6 14 7 3 4 26 39 1 4 26
OF
OCCURENCE
Total number of Poems in nine collections: 301
Total frequency of occurrence of the colours= 101
The colour with maximum occurrence: Black which is also referred to as dark and darkness
occurs 39 times.
The colour maximum occurrence after Black: White and Gold occur 26 times each.
The colour with minimum Occurrence: Red and Brown have only one occurrence each.
Frequency of the occurrence of the Primary colours RYB: 21
Frequency of the occurrence of the Secondary colours GOP: Orange has zero occurrences
whereas Green and Purple have 10 occurrences.
Frequency of the occurrence of Achromatic colours Black, Grey, White and Brown: 69
Frequency of the occurrence of Cousin Colours Gold and Silver: 30
Frequency of the occurrence of Tint colour: Pink has zero occurrences.
Frequency of the occurrence of Composite Colour i.e. Brown: 1
III. b. Titles of the poems in which colours are mentioned:
i. A Boy’s Will: (Collection published in 1915)

INTO MY OWN
GHOST HOUSE
MY NOVEMBER GUEST
LOVE AND A QUESTION
A LATE WALK

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STARS
WIND AND WINDOW FLOWER
TO THE THAWING WIND
A PRAYER IN SPRING
FLOWER-GATHERING
WAITING AFIELD AT DUSK
IN A VALE
THE VANTAGE POINT
MOWING
GOING FOR WATER
THE TRIAL BY EXISTENCE
PAN WITH US
MY BUTTERFLY
ii. NORTH OF BOSTON (Collection published in 1914)
THE MOUNTAIN
THE BLACK COTTAGE
THE FEAR
THE SELF-SEEKER
THE WOOD-PILE
iii. MOUNTAIN INTERVAL: (Collection published in 1916)
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
IN THE HOME STRETCH
AN ENCOUNTER
THE OFT-REPEATED DREAM
THE IMPULSE

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iv. NEW HAMPSHIRE: (Collection published in 1924)
New Hampshire (poem)
FRAGMENTARY BLUE
NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY
STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING
BLUE-BUTTERFLY DAY
THE ONSET
LOOKING FOR A SUNSET BIRD IN WINTER
A HILLSIDE THAW
OUR SINGING STRENGTH
iv. WEST-RUNNING BROOK: (Collection published in 1928)
A PASSING GLIMIPSE
A PECK OF GOLD
ACCEPTANCE
THE THATCH
THE LOVELY SHALL BE CHOOSERS
WEST-RUNNING BROOK (poem)
SAND DUNES
THE DOOR IN THE DARK
v. A FURTHER RANGE: ( Collection in six parts published in 1936)
1. TAKEN DOUBLY:
THE WHITE-TAILED HORNET
A BLUE RIBBON AT AMESBURY
THE GOLD HESPERIDEE
A ROADSIDE STAND

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THE OLD BARN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FOGS
ON THE HEART'S BEGINNING TO CLOUD THE MIND
2. TAKEN SINGLY:
LEAVES COMPARED WITH FLOWERS
THEY WERE WELCOME TO THEIR BELIEF
THE STRONG ARE SAYING NOTHING
DESIGN
AFTER FLAKES
3. TEN MILLS (part three of the collection) No examples
4. THE OUTLANDS (part four of the collection)
TH5. BUILD SOIL (part five of the collection) No examples
6. AFTERTHOUGHT (part six of the collection)
VINDICTIVES
VIII. A WITNESS TREE: (Collection published in 1943)
COME IN
WILLFUL HOMING
THE QUEST OF THE PURPLE-FRINGED
TH THE LOST FOLLOWER
THE LESSON FOR TODAY
A LOOSE MOUNTAIN
IT IS ALMOST THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND
STEEPLE BUSH
AN UNSTAMPED LETTER IN OUR RURAL LETTER BOX
SKEPTIC
TWO LEADING LIGHTS

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A CLIFF DWELLING
IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS: This investigation reveals that Frost has employed the colour
imagery in Sixty-seven poems out of available three hundred and one. The most dominating
colour in Frost’s poems is black which is also referred to as ‘dark face’, ‘darkest realm’, ‘dark
side’, ‘in the dark’, ‘as dark as’, ‘getting dark’, ‘to the dark’, ‘inside it was dark’, ‘such a
darkness’, ‘in the darker mood’, ‘darkened room’, ‘darker pool’, ‘dark stream’, ‘darkness’,
‘night be dark’, ‘darkest evening’, ‘dark pine’, ‘dark days’, and ‘dark trees’. As far as the
psychological feelings of black are concerned, Frost uses this colour imagery to let the
readers feel fear of the unknown, mystery in Nature, death as a natural phenomenon and evil
in the surroundings. Frost witnessed deaths of his immediate family members so frequently
that his bright days were overtaken by the dark days and darkness surrounded him like a
shadow following him everywhere in the pool, room, trees and stream, and thus his tragic life
overpowered his poetic style and made it the poetry of a pessimist. Besides, Frost faced many
hardships throughout his life which also influenced his diction. Black is actually not a colour
as it is known as the ‘colour without the colour’ or Achromatic/neutral colour which is the
outcome of the mixture of the primary and secondary colours. Thus, the impact that the use of
black leaves on the readers’ mind is that Frost’s life which was a combination of life
experiences, tragic incidents, financial crisis, mental and physical diseases resulted into
nothingness or life without the life or ‘Death in Life’ philosophy. Frost sys in ‘The wind and
the Rain’:
I sang of death-but had I known / The many deaths one must have died/ Before he came to
meet his own
All this had made him a person who was undecided as he shows this feeling in ‘Two roads
Taken’ totally unable to take a decision which path of life to follow.
Two other dominating colours in Frost’s poems are White and Gold both occurred twenty six
times each. Just like Black, White is also known as the ‘colour without the colour’. In
Physics, It is only termed as ‘light’. It shows cleanliness and peace. Perhaps, Frost aspired
for the peace of mind which he could not get due the turmoil in his life. It shows modesty and
sadness, too in some cultures. The choice of black and white colours also shows lack of
interest and meaningless life. His life background reveals that Frost was either found in his
farm looking after the vegetation or completely absorbed in composing/presenting poems.
The former activity he was involved in for bearing his and the family living and the latter to
forget about the tragic affairs and fly ‘on the wings of poesy’ (J.Keats in ‘To the
Nightingale’).
Gold is also the colour used by frost twenty-six times. This colour is known as ‘the cousin
colour’ to brown and yellow. Gold represents courage, love and wisdom fully exhibited in
Frost’s personality. In spite of the tragedies in the form of deaths one after the other and

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mental and physical disorders, Frost tried hard to present himself as a courageous man
extending love for the near and dear ones and being a man of wisdom, he managed to
concentrate on producing great poetry. Thus, he proved his poetry as Gold to be preserved in
the hearts and minds of the readers.
Another colour that Frost used off and on is Blue. It occurs fourteen times in his poems. Blue
represents water or sky. It is a soothing tension relieving colour. Frost desired for a tension
free life and thus, by using this colour he conveys his earnest desire to look up to the sky
(God) to shower His blessings on him and to ward off his troubles. As blue colour also
represents water to wash of all tension and to become a source of calmness and relief, we as
readers feel that Frost wished for all this.
The rest of the colours are not very significant to Frost’s poetry. An amazing revelation is
that the Green occurs only seven times in his poems in spite of the reason that Frost’s poetry
considerably focuses on the description of Nature. The astonishing fact is that Nature instead
of green turns out to be black or dark to him. In ‘Leaves Compared without flowers’, Frost
says /Leaves are all my darker mood/ and in ‘Nothing Gold can Stay’, he believes that /
Nature's first green is gold/.
V. CONCLUSION:
Thus, this brief survey of Frost’s poems reveals that his poetic diction was deeply influenced
by his personal life. He is a great poet who very skillfully makes use of the colour imagery.
The focus on the use of black, white and gold conveys a thoughtful feeling that how a poet or
writer’s life leaves a lasting effect on his creativity. The research question was thus answered
and the hypothesis proved right through this investigation. Wordsworth has rightly said,
“Poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings’.
Gioia and Kennedy (1995) think:
“Without knowing what the poet is affected from and why and how he wrote his poems, it is
difficult to interpret his poems and especially the feelings in them in the right way”.
REFERENCES:
1. Color Meanings and Moods – Infoplease
2. https://www.infoplease.com/color-psychology
3. Robert Frost - Poems, Life & Achievements - Biography
4. https://www.biography.com/writer/robert-frost
5. Gerber, P. (1982) The letters of Robert Frost to Louis U.Meyer. New York: Hold,
Rinehart and Winston
6. Gioia, D. and Kennedy, X.J. (1995) Robert Frost (2nd Ed.) Boston: Thayer
Publishers.
7. Latham, EC. Ed.(1982) Complete Poems by Robert Frost Holt. Rinehart and
Winston. 17th edition. New York.


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LangLit

IMPACT FACTOR – 5.61 ISSN 2349-5189

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

KEY WORDS: Frost, Poems, Colour Imagery, Frequency Of Occurrence, Dominating

Vol. 6 Issue 3 43 February, 2020

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

II. Literature Review:

Vol. 6 Issue 3 44 February, 2020

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

III.c: Colours and their Emotional Effects:

Orange: This colour is energetic, warm, inviting and joyful.

Vol. 6 Issue 3 45 February, 2020

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

Brown: It stimulates the appetite. It also shows dullness, steadfastness, simplicity,

IV. d. Colours and their association with Senses:

III. Research Data collected from Robert Frost’s poems:

Research Methodology: Field Research

Vol. 6 Issue 3 46 February, 2020

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

Total number of Poems in nine collections: 301

Total frequency of occurrence of the colours= 101

Frequency of the occurrence of the Primary colours RYB: 21

Frequency of the occurrence of Cousin Colours Gold and Silver: 30

Frequency of the occurrence of Tint colour: Pink has zero occurrences.

Frequency of the occurrence of Composite Colour i.e. Brown: 1

III. b. Titles of the poems in which colours are mentioned:

i. A Boy’s Will: (Collection published in 1915)

LOVE AND A QUESTION

Vol. 6 Issue 3 47 February, 2020

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

WIND AND WINDOW FLOWER

TO THE THAWING WIND

WAITING AFIELD AT DUSK

THE VANTAGE POINT

GOING FOR WATER

THE TRIAL BY EXISTENCE

ii. NORTH OF BOSTON (Collection published in 1914)

THE BLACK COTTAGE

iii. MOUNTAIN INTERVAL: (Collection published in 1916)

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

IN THE HOME STRETCH

THE OFT-REPEATED DREAM

Vol. 6 Issue 3 48 February, 2020

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

New Hampshire (poem)

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

LOOKING FOR A SUNSET BIRD IN WINTER

OUR SINGING STRENGTH

iv. WEST-RUNNING BROOK: (Collection published in 1928)

THE LOVELY SHALL BE CHOOSERS

WEST-RUNNING BROOK (poem)

THE DOOR IN THE DARK

v. A FURTHER RANGE: ( Collection in six parts published in 1936)

THE WHITE-TAILED HORNET

A BLUE RIBBON AT AMESBURY

THE GOLD HESPERIDEE

Vol. 6 Issue 3 49 February, 2020

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

ON THE HEART'S BEGINNING TO CLOUD THE MIND

LEAVES COMPARED WITH FLOWERS

THEY WERE WELCOME TO THEIR BELIEF